LIVESTOCK farmers are being warned that climate change will increasingly affect future land management.

Alan Hopkins, a senior research scientist from the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, said hotter and direr summers alongside milder but wetter winters are likely to become the norm with an increase in droughts, storms and floods.

But he said there are a number of simple actions that farmers can implement now to improve their long-term ability to face the changes and gain a competitive edge.

Earlier spring grass growth, combined with the forcing effect of higher concentrates of carbon dioxide, could produce as much as 20% more herbage for the same amount of fertiliser in an average year within 20 or 30 years, but regular summer droughts would mean a net reduction in forage production.

Farmers using clover swards would be better placed and lucerne would show increased production in mid-summer.

As supplies of concentrate feeds are likely to be affected by droughts in other parts of the world, legume feeds in Britain could become more important as a protein feed.

Meanwhile, summer heat and winter storms could cause problems for livestock, but farmers could plant hedges and windbreaks on exposed sites now, and clumps of trees to provide shade in fields, in order to lessen the effects.

Mr Hopkins said extended grazing is already taking place. Farmers must learn to optimise the system by getting stock into yards or buildings early during wet spells to avoid poaching.

They should also work continuously towards improving soil structure.

"Heavy winter rain and summer drought are much greater problems on poorly structured soils than on soils where root channels are well developed," he said.

Summer feeding should be adapted to cope with drought conditions, and the fodderbank system currently used by dryland farmers in New Zealand is one technique that could be used in Wales.

Farmers may also need to carry silage stocks over into the summer to meet possible shortages.

Mr Hopkins said many uncertainties remain. New pests, diseases and weeds could emerge, water supplies become unreliable and farm buildings not designed to withstand severe storms could suffer damage.

But farmers are well placed to help mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing their dependency on fossil fuels and growing biofuel crops that can be used to produce electricity or diesel fuel.